EN ISO 27874:2008

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-november-2008
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Metallic and other inorganic coatings - Electrodeposited gold and gold alloy coatings for
electrical, electronic and engineering purposes - Specification and test methods (ISO
27874:2008)
Metallische Überzüge - Galvanische Gold- und Goldlegierungsüberzüge für elektrische,
elektronische und technische Zwecke - Anforderungen und Prüfverfahren (ISO
27874:2008)
Revêtements métalliques et autres revêtements inorganiques - Dépôts électrolytiques
d'or et d'alliages d'or pour usages électrique, électronique et industriels - Spécification et
méthodes d'essai (ISO 27874:2008)
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EN ISO 27874:2008
ICS:
25.220.40 Kovinske prevleke Metallic coatings
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

EUROPEAN STANDARD
EN ISO 27874
NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
September 2008
ICS 25.220.40
English Version
Metallic and other inorganic coatings - Electrodeposited gold
and gold alloy coatings for electrical, electronic and engineering
purposes - Specification and test methods (ISO 27874:2008)
Revêtements métalliques et autres revêtements Metallische Überzüge - Galvanische Gold- und
inorganiques - Dépôts électrolytiques d'or et d'alliages d'or Goldlegierungsüberzüge für elektrische, elektronische und
pour usages électrique, électronique et industriels - technische Zwecke - Anforderungen und Prüfverfahren
Spécification et méthodes d'essai (ISO 27874:2008) (ISO 27874:2008)
This European Standard was approved by CEN on 13 September 2008.
CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this European
Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration. Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references concerning such national
standards may be obtained on application to the CEN Management Centre or to any CEN member.
This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by translation
under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN Management Centre has the same status as the
official versions.
CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland,
France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal,
Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom.
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EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG
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© 2008 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. EN ISO 27874:2008: E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

Contents Page
Foreword.3

Foreword
This document (EN ISO 27874:2008) has been prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 107 "Metallic and
other inorganic coatings" in collaboration with Technical Committee CEN/TC 262 “Metallic and other inorganic
coatings” the secretariat of which is held by BSI.
This European Standard shall be given the status of a national standard, either by publication of an identical
text or by endorsement, at the latest by March 2009, and conflicting national standards shall be withdrawn at
the latest by March 2009.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent
rights. CEN [and/or CENELEC] shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
According to the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organizations of the following
countries are bound to implement this European Standard: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech
Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia,
Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain,
Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Endorsement notice
The text of ISO 27874:2008 has been approved by CEN as a EN ISO 27874:2008 without any modification.

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 27874
First edition
2008-09-15
Metallic and other inorganic coatings —
Electrodeposited gold and gold alloy
coatings for electrical, electronic and
engineering purposes — Specification
and test methods
Revêtements métalliques et autres revêtements inorganiques — Dépôts
électrolytiques d'or et d'alliages d'or pour usages électrique,
électronique et industriels — Spécification et méthodes d'essai

Reference number
ISO 27874:2008(E)
©
ISO 2008
ISO 27874:2008(E)
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ii © ISO 2008 – All rights reserved

ISO 27874:2008(E)
Contents Page
Foreword. iv
Introduction . v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions. 2
4 Information to be supplied to the electroplater .3
5 Designation . 4
6 Requirements and test methods. 6
7 Sampling. 9
Annex A (normative) Requirements for undercoats. 10
Annex B (normative) Methods of measuring the thickness of gold and gold alloy coatings . 12
Annex C (normative) Adhesion tests . 20
Annex D (normative) Determination of gold content. 22
Bibliography . 24

ISO 27874:2008(E)
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies
(ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through ISO
technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee has been
established has the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations, governmental and
non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely with the
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.
International Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
The main task of technical committees is to prepare International Standards. Draft International Standards
adopted by the technical committees are circulated to the member bodies for voting. Publication as an
International Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the member bodies casting a vote.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent
rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
ISO 27874 was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 107, Metallic and other inorganic coatings,
Subcommittee SC 3, Electrodeposited coatings and related finishes.
This first edition of ISO 27874 cancels and replaces ISO 4523:1985, ISO 4524-1:1985, ISO 4524-4:1985 and
ISO 4524-5:1985, of which it constitutes a technical revision.
iv © ISO 2008 – All rights reserved

ISO 27874:2008(E)
Introduction
The engineering uses of electrodeposited gold and gold alloy coatings have expanded with the growth of the
electrical and electronic industries. Low voltages and currents, dry circuits and microwave frequencies require
low-resistance interconnection systems, connectors and waveguides. Non-tarnishing, low-resistance gold
coatings were the logical choice for connectors where the stability of contact surfaces was critical. The need to
improve the wear resistance of gold coatings led to the development of new electroplating solutions containing
controlled amounts of metallic and non-metallic additives that either changed the composition or altered the
crystal structure of the coating. The special needs of the printed-circuit industry led to the development of acid
gold electroplating solutions that contained no free cyanide, yielding coatings that are hard, bright and
solderable. Formulations for high-speed electroplating up to current densities of 200 A/dm were introduced
for continuous strip, stripe or spot gold and gold alloy coatings.
The high cost of gold metal has led to the development of selective and thickness profile plating techniques to
limit the use of the metal to the active areas only of the components, where the gold is required. Designers will
therefore often specify the area requiring gold electroplating as well as the thickness profile, if required, by
reference to suitably marked drawings.
With the introduction of many new gold electroplating formulations and the proliferation of engineering
applications, the need for technical standards that specify the requirements of electrodeposited gold and gold
alloy coatings, as well as the test methods to ensure that the specified requirements are met, is critical.
Composition, appearance, hardness, thickness, purity, porosity, wear resistance, solderability, electrical
contact resistance, infrared reflectivity and other properties must be controlled to produce high-quality gold
and gold alloy coatings for engineering purposes.

INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 27874:2008(E)

Metallic and other inorganic coatings — Electrodeposited gold
and gold alloy coatings for electrical, electronic and
engineering purposes — Specification and test methods
WARNING — This International Standard may not be compliant with some countries’ health, safety
and environmental legislations. It calls for the use of substances and/or procedures that may be
injurious to health if adequate safety measures are not taken. This International Standard does not
address any health hazards, safety or environmental matters, or legislation associated with its use. It
is the responsibility of the user of this International Standard to establish appropriate health, safety
and environmentally acceptable practices and take appropriate action to comply with any national,
regional and/or international regulations. Compliance with this International Standard does not, of
itself, confer immunity from legal obligations.
1 Scope
This International Standard specifies the requirements for electrodeposited gold and gold alloy coatings for
electrical, electronic and other engineering applications on metallic and non-metallic substrates. It also
specifies test methods for measuring the properties of the coatings.
Although this International Standard does not specify the condition, finish or surface roughness of the basis
materi
...